That Time We Went to Positano… Part 2 — Livin’ La Dolce Vita

If you haven’t read Part 1 of our trip, you might want to start here.

Have you heard of the Last 4 Things?  Well, the Church says that the “Last 4 Things” — Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell are worth thinking about.

I know what you might be thinking — “Depressing!”  I know, I know. Though spending time contemplating these things might seem doomed to becoming a big, fat downer — I have found that daring to do so might actually change the way you live your life.

You might actually find yourself living life with more intention, more purpose, and — surprisingly, more joy — so don’t be afraid to do it!

For me, Positano was a time to focus on my favorite of the 4 Last Things: Heaven.  Yay for heaven!  I found myself thinking a lot about Jesus’ promises to those who love Him.

Take for example the verse,   “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.”

Do you ever take the time to sit back and think of heaven?  What it will be like?  Who will be there?  What we’re going to eat and drink and do there?  For me,  I’m hoping that the place that God is preparing for me might be a bit like Positano.  🙂

I know Positano won’t be able to hold a candle to the real thing, but all the same, it gives me hope to dream big because I know even my wildest dreams of Heaven will never compare to the real thing.

It didn’t hurt that Positano was beautiful and I had nothing to do but enjoy my family and the good food and wine put before me.  It also didn’t hurt that we were in the midst of a beautiful, bustling city overlooking the sea. No, that didn’t hurt — at all.

Heaven — it’s going to be amazing! And though I’m pretty sure the Italians won’t have anything to do with order and organization in Heaven — not their strong-point 🙁 — they just might have something to do with the food and drink and celebrations in Heaven.  The Italians have that part down.

They inspired the term, La Dolce Vita — “The Sweet Life” and anybody traveling to the Amalfi Coast gets a little insight into what exactly that means.  For the few days we spent in Positano, we made it our primary task to soak it all in and live La Dolce Vita to the best of our abilities.

We began every morning by throwing open our shutters and greeting the world with a great, big smile.

And as the family slowly woke up, I’d take a walk through the town to pick up our morning cappuccino and pastries.  I loved walking these streets before they were full of tourists.  For those few days, I was no tourist — I had become an inhabitant of this little town.

Our apartment happened to be in the pedestrianized area — which made for a great experience.  Honestly I had no idea what Positano would be like,  so I feel like God provided the perfect place for our family to enjoy our time in Positano.  I had no idea just how crazy it would be to navigate those busy roads — so grateful that we stayed in the pedestrianized area of the city.

Though the sun was already high in the sky, the little path up the hill was usually cool with the morning shade.  It was my time to walk with God through this sweet little city.  We’d say a few things here or there — but mostly we’d just enjoy the stillness and beauty of the morning — together.

If you ever find yourself in Positano, the best place for coffee and pastries is right across the street from the bus stop.  It’s where the pedestrianized part of the city ends, and the craziness begins.

In your excitement for amazing Italian coffee, don’t forget to look out for cars and buses and mopeds — and then run, don’t walk, across the street to Collina’s.  This brush with death is worth it — trust me!

After breakfast, we’d either go to the beach or go for a walk up the windy main road to take in some of the best views of the city.

Walking up and down those steep, narrow roads with Italians whipping by in their speedy little cars — not so relaxing.  But the pay-off for braving those steep narrow streets was well worth it!

We started our journey in the pedestrianized area, where sweet little moments popped up here and there.  Moments like the 8 year old holding on to his little sister’s hand to keep her safe.  These two are more often sparring partners — so it’s so nice when these moments happen.

The kids could expend some energy in this area before before we reached the road — a good thing as they would have to be kept close with all those crazy Italian drivers — and unskilled tourists — on the road.

Those dreaded selfie-sticks would have come in handy in a place like Positano.  Trying to get a family photo with these gorgeous backdrops resulted in a few close calls.  The only way our family could fit into the frame of our camera was to have the photographer run to the middle of the road and take a picture.  Needless to say, we didn’t have many volunteers.  🙁

My husband is a brave soul who isn’t afraid of a little danger every once in a while — or maybe it’s that he’s completely unaware of it?  Anyway, here’s one not-so-successful family photo session that took place on our way up the steep road.

Most of us were so preoccupied with wondering if John would survive that we couldn’t quite get a “hey look at us, in carefree Positano” smile across our faces.

As you climb the main road of Positano, you will get little “peeks” of beautiful scenes as the road leads you up — higher and higher — until you stand above most of the homes and shops of the city.

And then we tried to find somebody to take our picture — because no selfie stick — but he didn’t do such a good job 🙁  Oh well, maybe next time.

And can I say — there are few things more attractive than the man you love carrying your baby.  Am I right, ladies?

And on our way down, we usually stopped by Collina’s to order some of the best pizza in town.  And, while we waited for the pizza, we would often enjoy an afternoon coffee and maybe some gelato.  So good!

I’m beginning to sound like a commercial, but I highly recommend spending as much time as possible in Collina’s.

Often we brought the pizza back to our veranda and had a relaxing lunch and siesta before heading off to the beach.

 

After Siesta, it was time to hit the beach!  There are two main beaches in Positano and a few others that are spotted here and there around the craggy coastline — some with pop-up restaurants and private beaches.

The main beach, Spiaggia Grande, was closest to our apartment and we hit that often.  But if time is not a concern,  I recommend venturing down Via Positanesi di America at least once during your stay.  After a 10 minute walk along breathtaking coastline, you will find a lovely little spot, Fornillo Beach.

And Jesus, if you’re reading this, I think I found the perfect spot to inspire you as you prepare a place for me in heaven…

Yes, this little spot is perfect!  Right on the water, close enough to town that I can easily get in to see people — yet far enough away, so I can enjoy introverted moments taking in all the beauty around me.

But I’m pretty sure You know the perfect place, so I guess I’ll just leave it in Your hands.  🙂

This walk provides lovely spots to take a few family photos and soak in all the beauty.  No cars allowed!

And you can even say a prayer or two by one of the little grottoes that you will find along the way.  These people love Mary and Jesus — a lot!  Yay for Mary and Jesus!

And before you know it, you will have arrived at your destination, Fornillo Beach.

And that concludes Part 2 of “That Time We Went to Positano”.  If I’m being honest, I have a little teething baby who needs me right now, so I’ll have to continue later. 🙁

But it’s as good a time as any to end, so come back on Friday for the conclusion.